Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche Donate €2.5 Million for Japan Earthquake Relief

Volkswagen and Audi today announced that they will donate €1 million ($1.42 million) each for humanitarian aid to the Japanese people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Asian nation on March 11. Porsche also said it will offer €500,000 ($707,000) to assist people affected by the natural disaster. Aside from these contributions, the VW Group has announced the launch of a donation campaign among its employees.

The VW and Audi donations will be sent via organizations such as the German Red Cross.

"This week, we will be calling on the workforce to contribute to a major donation campaign. Preparations are already well underway. The strong feeling of solidarity demonstrated by our colleagues is overwhelming. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Japan who have experienced such indescribable suffering," said Bernd Osterloh, president of the VW Group works council.

The Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche donations come after those of most major car manufacturers, from Japan and the rest of the world. The first to donate were Japanese giants Toyota, Nissan and Honda, with $3.75 million each, followed by several other automakers including, but not limited to, BMW (€1 million), Hyundai-Kia ($1.3 million), Renault (€0.5 million), Mercedes-Benz (€2 million) and Fiat Group (€100,000).

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 ALMS Ad Belittles BMW, Ferrari and Porsche, but Ends up Losing to M3s in Sebring…

Just before the season opener of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida this past weekend, GM aired an aggressive commercial touting its 638-horsepower-strong Corvette ZR1. The ad claims that the firm’s engineers had to reduce the stock ZR1’s LS9 engine output by 168HP in order to compete in the race and “just to be fair against Porsche, Ferrari and BMW”.

For one, the Corvette ALMS racers are actually powered by a V8 loosely based on the Z06’s LS7 engine (see the second video after the jump). Perhaps most importantly, the Corvettes finished third and fourth in the GT class in Sebring behind two BMW M3 GTs… Videos follow after the break.

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Porsche Offers 911 Turbo S ‘Edition 918 Spyder’ Special to those that Place an Order for the 918

If you can afford the $845,000 price tag for an 918 Spyder, chances are you won’t blink an eye at the $160,000 Porsche is asking for its 911 Turbo S “Edition 918 Spyder”, which is being offered exclusively to those that place an order for its upcoming plug-in hybrid supercar. As you would expect, production of the special edition 911s is limited to 918 units worldwide.

The limited edition 911 Turbo S series is cosmetically inspired by the 918 Spyder and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles.

While keeping the standard model’s 530HP-strong flat-six turbo intact, the special edition gets distinctive acid green features such as the brake calipers, specific and part-embroidered model logos and seams, the instrument cluster needles, the bespoke PCM screen and illuminated door entry guards.

In the special edition, the 911 Turbo S’ standard equipment is complemented by an enhanced leather interior, a special instrumentation version and additional carbon elements both inside and out.

In addition, there’s a limited edition badge on the glove compartment lid that bears the same number as the 918 Spyder the customer has ordered, while the two cars can be finished in the same exact color.

The U.S. base manufacturer's suggested retail prices for the 911 Turbo S “Edition 918 Spyder” Coupe and Cabriolet versions are the same as the standard Turbo S models, at $160,700 and $172,100 respectively, excluding destination. In Germany, the special edition costs €173,24i in Coupe form and €184,546 as a Convertible.

First deliveries of the 911 Turbo S “Edition 918 Spyder” will commence in June 2011.

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Porsche Announces Pricing on 918 Spyder Hybrid Supercar, Starts at $845,000 in the US, €645,000 + VAT in Europe

We may be more than two years ahead of the production launch of Porsche’s new 918 Spyder, but that isn’t stopping the Stuttgart automaker from putting up a price tag and at the same time, begin accepting orders on its upcoming plug-in hybrid supercar.

The 918 Spyder will be Porsche’s most expensive model ever with prices in the USA, excluding destination and handling chargeς, starting at $845,000 (€598,000), and in Europe from €645,000 ($911,400) subject to VAT and country-specific charges.

As an extra treat, those who place an order for the 918 Spyder will also be eligible to buy a new special edition version of the 911 Turbo S series, more of which we’ll tell you about in our next post.

Production of the 918 Spyder will take place at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant in Germany starting from September 18, 2013, with delivery of the first vehicles to commence in November 2013. Porsche plans to limit production of the two-seater model to no more than 918 units worldwide. According to Porsche, “the earlier a customer orders his vehicle, the earlier it will be delivered, as production is initialized in the same sequence in which orders are received”.

The 918 Spyder is closely modeled after the concept study seen at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. However, the production version of the two-seater ditches the full open-top treatment for a manual roof system with removable roof panels that can be stowed in the front luggage compartment. Other changes visible from the official sketches include the addition of exterior mirrors and the elimination of the side exhaust tail pipes.

The flagship Porsche supercar is built around a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic monocoque and features a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that comprises of a V8 gasoline engine with a displacement exceeding four liters and output of more than 500HP plus two electric motors – one each on the front and rear axle – with a joint output of at least 218HP.

The V8 engine transfers its power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.

The electric motors are fed via a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a conventional domestic power socket, delivering a range in excess of 25 km (16 miles) in the NEDC on purely electric power. Porsche said the charging time depends on the country-specific mains network, being approximately three hours in Germany. The automaker added that a quick charging option is planned to reduce charging time yet further.

According to Porsche, the 918 Spyder’s combined total fuel consumption in the European driving cycle is estimated at 3.0 lt/100 km (94 mpg UK / 78.4 mpg US.), equating to CO2 emissions of 70 g/km (112 g/mile). Porsche said official EPA fuel economy figures for the US model will be announced just before the first customer cars begin arriving near the end of 2013.

The 918 Spyder can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 320 km/h (199 mph). Porsche said the Spyder will be able to manage a lap of the Nürburgring in “less than seven minutes and 30 seconds”, compared to the Carrera GT which needs seven minutes and 32 seconds. The top speed on purely electric power is 150 km/h (94 mph).

PORSCHE 918 SPYDER PRODUCTION MODEL

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PORSCHE 918 SPYDER CONCEPT

Lincoln Brand and Porsche 911 Top JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

Ford's luxury division Lincoln moved up one spot in the annual JD Power reliability study to gain the title of most reliable brand sold in the U.S., ahead of Lexus and Jaguar. The industry overall vehicle dependability has also improved compared to 2010, but automakers still have problems with new technologies and features.

The 2011 study takes into account problems experienced in the past 12 months by more than 43,700 original owners of three-year-old cars (2008 model year). JD Power determines the overall dependability by the level of Problems encountered Per 100 vehicles (PP100). A lower score reflects higher quality and the good news is the overall vehicle dependability averaged 151 PP100, the best value since the creation of the study.

With a score of 101, Lincoln was the top brand, improving by 13 PP100 from the previous year. The list with the top five brands include Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche and Toyota, with the most reliable model being the Porsche 911, with only 68 problems per 100 vehicles.

Seven Toyota-made cars came first in their segments, the most victories for an automaker: Lexus RX, Scion xB and the Toyota-branded 4Runner, Prius, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra. The Japanese automaker was followed by Ford Motor Company, with four models (Ford Fusion, Ford Mustang, Lincoln MKZ and Lincoln Navigator). Next came GM (Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and Chevrolet Tahoe) and Honda (Acura RL, Honda CR-V and Honda Fit). Other cars that topped their categories were the BMW X3 (although the brand ranked below average), the Mazda MX-5 and the Mercedes-Benz CLK.

Even if the industry is showing overall improvements in reliability, JD Power stresses that automakers register an increased rate of problems with electronic features such as audio, entertainment and navigation systems, as well as with new safety features, such as tire pressure monitoring systems.

“Automakers, as a whole, have made significant improvements in reducing traditional problems, particularly with vehicle interiors; engines and transmissions; and steering and braking during the past several years,” said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, as manufacturers add new features and technologies to satisfy customer demand and new legislation, they face the potential for introducing new problems,” he added.

Scroll down to take a look at the winners and losers of JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: J.D. Power

JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

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